Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHODS AND APPARATUS TO ASSOCIATE VOICE MESSAGES
WITH MISSED CALLS
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communications and, more
particularly, to
methods and apparatus to associate voice messages with missed calls.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Voice messages, such as voicemail messages, are typically left for a
call recipient
when the recipient does not answer his or her telephone. In such situations,
voicemail messages
are left by a caller more or less in real time with placing a call to the call
recipient. Sometime
later, the call recipient may receive an indication that a caller left a voice
message. Call logs are
lists tracking incoming and outgoing calls at a mobile device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 depicts an example system for associating voice messages with
missed calls.
[0004] FIG. 2 depicts a user interface showing a call log including
indications of call log
entries having associated voice messages.
[0005] FIG. 3 depicts the user interface of FIG. 2 including a menu associated
with a call log
entry having an associated voice message.
[0006] FIG. 4 is an example diagram illustrating events that take place
between a caller, a
mobile device, and a voicemail server.
[0007] FIG. 5 is an example flow diagram representative of a process, which
may be
implemented using computer readable instructions on a mobile device that may
be used to
associate voice messages with missed calls.
[0008] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a mobile device in accordance with the
disclosure.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Although the following discloses example methods, apparatus, and
articles of
manufacture including, among other components, software executed on hardware,
it should be
noted that such methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture are merely
illustrative and
should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any
or all of these
hardware and software components could be embodied exclusively in hardware,
exclusively in
software, exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware,
software, and/or firmware.
Accordingly, while the following describes example methods, apparatus, and
articles of
manufacture, persons having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate
that the examples
provided are not the only way to implement such methods, apparatus, and
articles of
manufacture.
[0010] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered
appropriate, reference
numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or
analogous elements.
In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding
of examples disclosed herein. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will
understand that the
examples disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In
other instances,
well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in
detail so as not to
obscure examples disclosed herein. Also, the description is not to be
considered as limiting the
scope of examples disclosed herein.
[0011] Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture disclosed
herein may be
used in connection with telephony-capable mobile devices, which may be any
mobile
communication device, mobile computing device, or any other element, entity,
device, or service
capable of communicating wirelessly. Mobile devices, also referred to as
terminals, wireless
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terminals, mobile stations, communication stations, user equipment (UE), or
user devices, may
include mobile smart phones, cellular telephones, wireless personal digital
assistants (PDA),
tablet/laptop/notebook/netbook computers with wireless adapters, etc.
Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture disclosed herein
facilitate operations in
a mobile device to associate voice messages with missed calls. One example
method includes
receiving at a mobile device a call log item, obtaining a caller identity and
a call log item time
stamp, and determining if a voice message is associated with the call log item
based on a voice
message time stamp, the call log item time stamp, and a message duration. In
some examples,
determining if a voice message is associated with the call log item is further
based upon the
caller identity. The message duration may be a duration of an outgoing message
or an incoming
message. Determining if a voice message is associated with the call log item
may be based upon
a latency time and may also include determining if the call log item is a
missed call. The method
may also include providing a user interface indication in a call log that a
voice message is
associated with the call log item.
[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a communication system 100 includes a mobile device
102 that
may receive a telephone call from a caller 104 through a network 106. In the
event that the
mobile device 102 does not answer the telephone call, the network 106 routes
the caller 104 to a
voicemail server 108 so that the caller may leave a voice message for the user
of the mobile
device 102. The voicemail server 108 provides an indication to the mobile
device 102, via a
network 110, that a voice message has been left on the voicemail server 108
for the mobile
device 102.
[0013] In the example of FIG. 1, the mobile device 102 includes, among other
things, a call
log 120, a voicemail client 122, and a call log processor 124. In practice,
the mobile device 102
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may be implemented using a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a tablet computer,
or any suitable
device. The call log 120, the voicemail client 122, and the call log processor
124 may be
implemented using hardware, software, firmware, coding, or any other suitable
logic to facilitate
the functionality described herein. Although not pictured in FIG. 1 for the
sake of clarity, the
mobile device 102 may include other functionality, such as wireless
communication
functionality, etc. The mobile device 102 is configured to communicate with
the caller 104
and/or the voicemail server 108, as well as the networks 106, 110 and any
other suitable
networks (e.g., cellular networks, local area networks, etc.).
[00141 The network 106 may be any communication network that facilitates voice
communication between the caller 104 and the mobile device 102. For example,
the network
106 may include landline telephone networks, cellular networks, public or
private networks, the
Internet, or any suitable combination thereof. Additionally, the network 106
may be a data
network that facilitates voice communication between the caller 104 and the
mobile device 102
through digital communication.
[00151 The voicemail server 108 of the example of FIG. 1 may be implemented
using a
visual voicemail system that provides voicemail functionality to the mobile
device 102 without
the mobile device 102 having to call the voicemail server 108. Instead, the
interface between the
mobile device 102 and the voicemail server 108 may be a data connection
whereby voicemail
information may be provided from the voicemail server 108 to the voicemail
client 122 of the
mobile device 102 without the mobile device 102 having to place a telephone
call to the
voicemail server 108.
[00161 The network 110 may be any communication network that facilitates
communication
between the voicemail server 108 and the mobile device 102. For example, the
network 110 may
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include a digital cellular network, landline telephone networks, public or
private networks, the
Internet, or any suitable combination thereof.
[0017] In the example of FIG. 1, when the mobile device 102 receives a call or
makes a call,
an indication of the same is maintained in the call log 120. Accordingly, when
the mobile device
102 does not answer a call from the caller 104, an indication of a missed call
is placed in the call
log 120.
[0018] The call log 120 may be implemented using software executed by the
mobile device
102 to maintain a listing of incoming and outgoing communications. For
example, the call log
120 may track dates, times, and durations of incoming calls and outgoing
calls, and may also
track the dates and times of missed calls (e.g., calls that were not answered
at the mobile device
102). In other implementations, the call log 120 may be implemented using
hardware or any
suitable combination of hardware and software. Further detail regarding a user
interface to the
call log 122 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0019] The voicemail client 122 may be implemented using software executed by
the mobile
device 102 to allow the mobile device 102 to interface with the voicemail
server 108. In this
manner, the mobile device 102 may obtain voicemail from the voicemail server
108. In other
implementations, the voicemail client 122 may be implemented using hardware or
any suitable
combination of hardware and software.
[0020] Although a single voicemail client 122 is shown in FIG. 1, the mobile
device 102
may include multiple voicemail clients, each of which facilitates user
interaction with voice
messages associated with a voicemail server or voicemail servers. For example,
the mobile
device 102 may include a first voicemail client associated with a voicemail
server of a network
carrier that provides network connectivity to mobile device 102, a second
voicemail client
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associated with a voicemail server of another entity (e.g., a voicemail server
associated with an
office or any other enterprise), and a third voicemail client associated with
any other voicemail
server (e.g., a voicemail server associated with a subscription service).
Alternatively, rather than
the mobile device 102 including multiple voicemail clients, the voicemail
client 122 may be
configured to support multiple voicemail servers and to facilitate user
interaction with numerous
voicemail servers. In such a case, the voicemail client 122 may include an
account for each
respective voicemail server to which the user has access. In either of these
manners, the mobile
device 102 may provide a user interface to visual voicemail (or any other
voicemail) from
numerous different sources.
[0021] As described herein, the mobile device 102 includes the call log
processor 124, which
may be implemented using any combination of software and/or hardware, that
facilitates the
association of voice messages with missed calls. Thus, the call log processor
124 accesses the
call log 120 and the voicemail client 122 to determine if voice messages are
associated with
missed calls and reflects those associated voice messages in the call log 120.
Accordingly, the
call log 120 of the mobile device 102, in addition to including a list of
calls, may also include an
indication of calls having associated voice messages. For example, if the
caller 104 made a call
to the mobile device 102 that was unanswered, and the caller 104 left a voice
message for the
mobile device 102 on the voicemail server 108, the call log processor 124
would determine this
fact and the call log 120 of the mobile device 102 would include an indication
signifying that a
voice message was received in association with the missed call from the caller
104.
[0022] Although shown as separate blocks in the example of FIG. 1, the call
log 120, the
voicemail client 122, and the caller log processor 124 may be integrated into
a single software or
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hardware component. Additionally, the functionality associated with the call
log processor 124
may be implemented within the call log 120 or the voicemail client 122.
[0023] FIG. 2 shows further detail of the mobile device 102 including a user
interface
presenting a call log 202 including five entries. A first entry 204 in the
call log 202 indicates that
a call from the telephone number 555-555-5001 was received on September 9 at
8:31 PM. The
X graphic 206 is used as an indication that the call was not answered and,
therefore, the call was
a missed call. Additionally, a voicemail graphic 208 is shown in the first
entry 204 of the call
log 202. The voicemail graphic 208 indicates that there is a voicemail
associated with the first
entry 204 and the call log 202. A second entry 210 of the call log 202
includes an outgoing
arrow 212 indicating that that a call was made to John Doe at 555-555-5002 at
8:30 PM on
September 9. A third entry 220 of the call log 202 includes an incoming arrow
222 indicating
that a call was received from 555-555-5003 on September 9 at 8:29 PM.
[0024] Of interest in FIG. 2 is the voicemail graphic 208, which appears in
the call log 202.
An example process used to determine if a voice message is associated with a
call, for example,
a missed call, is described below. As explained in detail below, comparison of
voice message
and call log timestamps, along with message duration information may be used
to reliably
determine if a voice message is associated with a call log entry.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, selection of the first entry 204 of the call log
202 results in
presentation of a menu 302. The menu 303 includes various options associated
with the first
entry 204 of the call log 202. Of particular interest in the menu 302 is a
play voicemail option
304, selection of which will play a voice message associated with the first
entry 204 of the call
log 202. Accordingly, once it is determined that a voice message is associated
with the call in
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the call log 202, the user interface presented to a user may be enhanced to
provide functionality
recognizing the presence of an associated voice message.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows a communication flow between the mobile device 102, the
caller 104,
and the voicemail server 108. In particular, FIG. 4 shows latency times in the
process of the
caller 104 making a call that rolled to the voicemail server 108, at which
point the caller 104
heard an outgoing message from the voice mail server and left an incoming
message for the
voice mail server. These latency times may be considered when making an
association between
a voice message and a missed call, as described below.
[0027] At time to, the caller 104 makes a call to the mobile device 102. The
mobile device
102 may ring for a preset number of times (e.g., 3 rings, 5 rings, etc.). If
the mobile device 102
does not answer the call within the preset number of rings, at t1 a missed
call indication 402 is
made at the mobile device 102. At or about the same time, the caller 104 is
transferred by a
communication network (e.g., the network 106) to the voicemail server 108, at
which point an
outgoing message 404 is played for the caller 104 to hear. The outgoing
message 404 occupies a
time roughly between tl and t2.
[0028] After the caller 104 hears the outgoing message 404, the caller 104, at
time t2 begins
leaving an incoming message 406 on the voicemail server 108. The incoming
message 406
occupies time t2 to t3. After the conclusion of the incoming message 406,
which occurs at t3, the
voicemail server 108 provides a new voice message notification 408 to the
mobile device 102 at
t4. Subsequently, the mobile device 102 associates the voice message with the
missed call and
provides a call log indication of the voice message in association with the
missed call 410.
[0029] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, time ti to time t4 is the time
difference between the
mobile device 102 obtaining the missed call indication 402 and the mobile
device 102 receiving
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the new voice message notification 408. The time ti to time t3 is essentially
the duration of the
outgoing message 404 and the incoming message 406. Additionally, the time
between t3 and t4 is
a latency time during which the voicemail server 108 notifies the mobile
device 102 of the new
voice message. As described below, the duration of the messages 404 and/or
406, along with
latency times may be used to associate voice messages with the missed calls.
For most service
carriers, the visual voicemail client (e.g., the voicemail client) knows the
duration of the
outgoing message 404. In some instances, if the duration of the outgoing
message 404 is now
known, the maximum length of the outgoing message 404 is known. Once the
mobile device
102 receives the incoming message 406, the mobile device 102 knows the
duration of the
incoming message 406. One manner in which the mobile device 102 can associate
voice
messages with missed calls is shown in FIG. 5.
[0030] FIG. 5 depicts an example flow diagram representative of a process that
may be
implemented using, for example, computer-readable instructions stored on a
computer-readable
medium to associate voice messages with missed calls. The example process of
FIG. 5 may be
performed using one or more processors, controllers, and/or any other suitable
processing
devices. For example, the example process of FIG. 5 may be implemented using
coded
instructions (e.g., computer readable instructions) stored on one or more
tangible computer
readable media such as flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), and/or random-
access memory
(RAM), such as may be found in the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1.
[0031] As used herein, the term tangible computer readable medium is expressly
defined to
include any type of computer readable storage. Additionally or alternatively,
the example
process of FIG. 5 may be implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer-
readable
instructions or machine-accessible instructions) stored on one or more non-
transitory computer
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readable media such as flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), random-access
memory
(RAM), cache, or any other storage media in which information is stored for
any duration (e.g.,
for extended time periods, permanently, brief instances, for temporarily
buffering, and/or for
caching of the information).
[0032] As used herein, the term non-transitory computer-readable medium and
non-
transitory machine-accessible medium are expressly defined to include any type
of computer-
readable medium or machine-accessible medium.
[0033] Alternatively, some or all operations of the example process of FIG. 5
may be
implemented using any combination(s) of application specific integrated
circuit(s) (ASIC(s)),
programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)), field programmable logic device(s)
(FPLD(s)), discrete
logic, hardware, firmware, etc. Also, some or all operations of the example
process of FIG. 5
may be implemented manually or as any combination(s) of any of the foregoing
techniques, for
example, any combination of firmware, software, discrete logic, and/or
hardware. Further,
although the example process of FIG. 5 is described with reference to the flow
diagram of FIG.
5, other methods of implementing the process of FIG. 5 may be employed. For
example, the
order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks
described may be
changed, eliminated, sub-divided, or combined. Additionally, any or all
operations of the
example process of FIG. 5 may be performed sequentially and/or in parallel by,
for example,
separate processing threads, processors, devices, discrete logic, circuits,
etc.
[0034] In the illustrated example, the process of FIG. 5 is described below as
performed by
the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1. However, the example process of FIG. 5 may
additionally or
alternatively be implemented using any other suitable device or apparatus.
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[00351 Now turning to FIG. 5, an example process to associate voice messages
with missed
calls is shown. The process of FIG. 5 may be implemented by the call log
processor 124 of FIG.
1 using, for example, computer-readable instructions, or any suitable
combination of hardware
and/or software and may be implemented on the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1. The
mobile
device 102 waits for a new call log item (block 502). In one example, a new
call log item may
be a new incoming call, a new outgoing call, a new missed call, or any other
suitable call log
event.
[00361 When a new call log item is detected (block 502), the mobile device 102
determines if
the new call log item is a missed call (block 504). Additionally or
alternatively, rather than the
process of FIG. 5 executing when a new call log item is received, the process
of FIG. 5 may be
carried out each time the mobile device 102 presents the call log 202 to a
user, as shown in FIG.
2.
[00371 If the new call log item is not a missed call (block 504), the new call
log item is added
to the call log (block 506) and the process of FIG. 5 ends. Alternatively, if
the new call log item
is a missed call (block 504), the mobile device 102 obtains caller
information, such as the
telephone number from which the call was made and/or the name or identity of
the caller, the
missed call timestamp, and the missed call terminating number (i.e., the
number dialed by the
caller that resulted in the missed call) (block 508). Returning briefly to
FIG. 4, the missed call
timestamp may be the time at which the mobile device 102 obtains the missed
call indication
402. As explained below, the missed call terminating number may be used to
associate voice
messages with incoming calls when multiple voicemail servers are accessed
and/or multiple
voicemail accounts are present on the mobile device 102. For example, a missed
call having a
first terminating number would only be associated with a voice message left
for the first
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terminating number (e.g., on the voicemail server associated with the
terminating number), and
would not be associated with a voice message left for a second terminating
number.
Accordingly, the missed call terminating number associated with the missed
call may be
obtained and used as a piece of information to associate voice messages with
missed calls.
[00381 The mobile device 102 then queries (block 510) a voice message list for
messages
from the caller for the terminating number. For example, the call log
processor 124 of FIG. 1
may query the voicemail client 122 for a listing of messages in visual
voicemail that are from
either the same telephone number as the new call log item or from the same
caller as the new call
log item, and also were for the terminating number. Consideration of the
terminating number
when querying the voice message list filters the voice message list only to
voice messages
associated with the terminating number (i.e., the terminating number
associated with the missed
call) and, thus, prevents a voice message for a first terminating number from
being associated
with a missed call for a second terminating number.
[00391 Alternatively, the query (block 510) may be a query that is made to a
voicemail server
associated with the terminating number of the missed call and the query may be
directed to the
voice messages on that server that are from the caller. In this manner, the
results of the query
will only be associated with the terminating number of the missed call and
will only list voice
messages from the caller that are found on the voicemail server associated
with the terminating
number. Such a query prevents a voice message for a first terminating number
from being
associated with a missed call from a second terminating number.
[00401 If there are no voice messages from the caller (block 512) the new call
log item is
added to the call log (block 506). Alternatively, if there are voice messages
from the caller
(block 512), the mobile device finds the first voice message with a time stamp
between the
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missed call timestamp (e.g., tj) and the time identified by the missed call
timestamp (e.g., ti) plus
the outgoing message duration (e.g., ti - tz) plus the incoming message
duration (e.g., t2 - t3) plus
latency time (block 514). In one example, latency time may be selected to be
five minutes or any
other suitable time. Latency time is server-specific and includes the time
that it takes the voice
mail system to create a visual voicemail message from a voice mail left by the
caller 104. In
some examples, the latency time may be a constant value on the order of about
2 to 10 seconds.
However, the latency time could be learned from few first messages and a
comparison between
the missed call time and the time when a new visual voicemail message is
received.
[00411 If no voice messages are found that fall within the timing constraints
of block 514
(block 516), the new call log item is added to the call log (block 506).
Alternatively, if the voice
message falling within the prescribed time frame is found (block 516), the
item is added to the
call log and an indication of an associated voice message is made (block 518).
[0042] Further detail of certain aspects of the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1 is
shown in FIG. 6
with respect to a mobile, or portable electronic, device 600. The mobile
device 600 includes
multiple components, such as a processor 602 that controls the overall
operation of the mobile
device 600. Communication functions, including data and voice communications,
are performed
through a communication subsystem 604. Data received by the mobile device 600
is
decompressed and decrypted by a decoder 606. The communication subsystem 604
receives
messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 650. The wireless
network 650 may be
any type of wireless network, including, but not limited to, data wireless
networks, voice
wireless networks, and networks that support both voice and data
communications. A power
source 642, such as one or more rechargeable batteries or a port to an
external power supply,
powers the mobile device 600.
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[0043] The processor 602 interacts with other components, such as Random
Access Memory
(RAM) 608, memory 610, a display 612 with a touch-sensitive overlay 614
operably coupled to
an electronic controller 616 that together comprise a touch-sensitive display
618, one or more
actuators 620, one or more force sensors 622, an auxiliary input/output (I/O)
subsystem 624, a
data port 626, a speaker 628, a microphone 630, short-range communications
632, and other
device subsystems 634. In one example, the processor 602 and the memory 610
may cooperate
to implement the functionality described in conjunction with FIG. 5. For
example, tangible
and/or non-transitory, and/or machine readable instructions may be stored by
the processor 602
and/or the memory 610 to implement the functionality shown in FIG. 5.
[0044] Input via a graphical user interface is provided via the touch-
sensitive overlay 614.
The processor 602 interacts with the touch-sensitive overlay 614 via the
electronic controller
616. Information, such as text, characters, symbols, images, icons, and other
items that may be
displayed or rendered on a mobile device, is displayed on the touch-sensitive
display 618 via the
processor 602. The processor 602 may interact with an accelerometer 636 that
may be utilized to
detect direction of gravitational forces or gravity-induced reaction forces.
[0045] To identify a subscriber for network access, the mobile device 600 may
utilize a
Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module (SIM/RUIM) card
638 for
communication with a network, such as the wireless network 650. Alternatively,
user
identification information may be programmed into memory 610.
[0046] The mobile device 600 includes an operating system 646 and software
programs,
applications, or components 648, such as a call log processor, that are
executed by the processor
602 and are typically stored in a persistent, updatable store such as the
memory 610. Additional
applications or programs may be loaded onto the mobile device 600 through the
wireless
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network 650, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 624, the data port 626, the short-
range communications
subsystem 632, or any other suitable subsystem 634.
[0047] A received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web
page download
is processed by the communication subsystem 604 and input to the processor
602. The processor
602 processes the received signal for output to the display 612 and/or to the
auxiliary I/O
subsystem 624. A subscriber may generate data items, for example e-mail
messages, which may
be transmitted over the wireless network 650 through the communication
subsystem 604. For
voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device 600 is
similar. The speaker
628 outputs audible information converted from electrical signals, and the
microphone 630
converts audible information into electrical signals for processing.
[0048] As described above example methods, apparatus, and articles of
manufacture
facilitate operations in a mobile device to associate voice messages with
missed calls. The
described process of associating voice messages with missed calls allows for
presentation of a
voicemail indication in a call log. The disclosed process is advantageous
because the user may
receive more than one missed call from the same person with associated voice
messages or
without associated voice messages. For example, a caller may receive a busy
signal and then
hang up, but then call again and if the line is still busy may decide to leave
a message.
Additionally, a user may receive more than one missed call almost at the same
time from
unknown numbers. In this case, the method described determines the correct
connection
between the missed calls and the voice message.
[0049] Although certain methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture have
been described
herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. To the
contrary, this patent
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covers all methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture fairly falling
within the scope of the
appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
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